Metro News & Reviews

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, April 14

Here’s a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog. Don’t forget you can also follow the Metro Library on Facebook and Twitter.

Many other transit lines around L.A. have their share of advocates. But no one, City Watch says, is really sticking up for a much-needed transit line along the 405 corridor to connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley. There many not be advocates, but one of the Measure R mass transit projects would do just that and is set to receive $1 billion in Measure R funding. The planning process for that project has not yet begun, but Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did include the project in his 30/10 initiative that would complete it within the next decade.

Writer Norman Garrick points to a number of moves by cities around the U.S. that emphasize other forms of getting around besides driving — and sometimes even inconvenience those who drive. He also cites some statistics showing that automobile ownership peaked in 2001 and has since declined. I think it’s great that planners are embracing alternative modes of transit, but I don’t buy the premise of this article. Mass transit and cycling infrastructure still receive relatively paltry government funding and autos are still affordable to the masses, meaning they’ll be around for a long time.

Sports columnist Bill Dwyre points out that too much shouldn’t be made of the free bus shuttles between Union Station and Dodger Stadium — since it’s taxpayers, not the baseball team, that are footing the bill for the service. Dwyre also doesn’t think lost parking revenue isn’t too big a deal for the team, as the bus service may provide incentive for those fed up with parking at the stadium to buy tickets and actually attend games. If you ask me — and no one is — the issue here isn’t who is paying for transit. The issue is that the stadium was built on top of a hill in a place most easily reached by car. It’s near downtown, but not part of it — unlike many other ballparks in America. But no one is talking about fixing that.